Acid thrown on two women, child

LAHORE: A minor girl and two women suffered burns in an acid attack in the city’s Islampura area on Sunday.

According to police, 25-year-old Arooj Husnain of Krishan Nagar was going to Itwaar Bazaar along with her daughter Fatima, 2, and sister-in-law Saba, 22, on a rickshaw when two men on a motorcycle threw acid on them at about noon.

The attackers, who carried the acid in a bottle, escaped. The three suffered multiple burns and their screams prompted people to call Rescue 1122. They were taken to Mayo Hospital.

DIG (operations) Rai Mohammad Tahir told Dawn that a small quantity of acid had been used and the girl and the women were in a stable condition.

He said the family of the victims had refused to speak to police about the motive and identity of the attackers.

Police later registered a case under Section 336 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Fatima’s father Syed Husnain Zaidi.

Mr Zaidi, an employee of the Punjab Food Department, told this reporter that he had no enmity or dispute with anyone.

He said his sister Saba had suffered burns near her left eye and on arms and legs, his daughter on the face and legs and his wife on her left leg.

Mr Zaidi said the hospital had discharged his wife and only daughter, but wanted to keep his sister under treatment due to her moderate burns. But later Saba also was discharged. He said he would cooperate with police to trace the attackers.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sought a report on the incident from the Lahore police chief.